Day 9 - 16

Days 9-16.  Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a week since I last updated you!  Time sure does fly when you’re having fun, and boy am I having fun!  I haven’t been an angel all week, but it just feels so good to be in control.  I’ve never felt as empowered as I do now.  If I can have this type of strength and control in this one area of my life, then I know I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.  I can’t believe I’ve spent a lifetime waffling back and forth and not realizing my full potential because of such a lack of confidence due to my weight.  Well no more!  The monkey is off my back.  Be gone you dirty ape!  Sayonara!  Ay-dee-ose!  Get outta my way, and don’t even THINK about coming back!  Thank you Sensa!

Day 8

Day 8 – One of my favorite breakfast meals is Yoplait yogurt (cherry pomegranate flavor) topped with a spoonful of Grape Nuts cereal.  It’s nutritious AND delicious.  It gives me the energy I need to get my day started out right.  They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It is also said that we should eat our biggest meal at breakfast because our bodies have plenty of time throughout the day to expend energy and burn off the calories, whereas later in the day, our bodies can tend to be more at rest.  I agree with that philosophy; however, so far, I have not been able to follow that model.  I feel like my dinners are more calorie-laden than my breakfasts.  Anyway, what I’ve been doing so far has been working, so I’m sticking with it—for now.

One thing I have changed is the type of foods I put into my body.  When I think about all of the garbage that is on grocery store shelves, it makes me want to cringe!  All of the “processed this” and “artificial that” and steroids and such have no benefit to the human body whatsoever.  The only people who benefit from them is—you guessed it—THE MANUFACTURERS. 

As much as possible, I’m trying to consume all‑natural and organic foods, and nothing that is processed or canned.  This is harder to accomplish than one might think.  There is a lack of availability of healthy foods, particularly in the Black community.  When we do find a store with a half-way decent selection, the prices can be astronomical.  This means I have to drive far out sometimes to get the healthy foods we need, and so be it.  I have to keep reminding myself that I AM WORTH THE TRIP, and so are you! 

I can only do the best I can for my family within my limited resources, but having an awareness of the ingredients we put into our bodies is a vital first step toward losing weight and being healthy overall. 

Day 7

Day 7 – I promised myself I would not step on the scale for a long time; however, curiosity got the best of me.  After 6 days, I was down 9 lbs!  I feel great! 

I don’t want to belittle my success, but with my history, I’ve lost 9, 10, 15 lbs here and there and gained it right back again.  This time is different because I now understand the reasons why I am overweight.   I am truly emotionally ready to lose it—ALL OF IT—once and for all.  There is too much life out there to be lived without having the added worries that normal people don’t ever have to think about, like whether I’ll find something nice enough to wear for the party that doesn’t look like a moo-moo; or if I’ll try to step on a plane and suddenly be told I’ll have to buy a second ticket because of my size; or having people look at me sideways because I'm buying an ice cream cone, or just being too embarrassed to play in the backyard sprinkler with my kids because I’m too ashamed of my body.   

No more worries.  No more embarrassment.  No more shame. 

I won’t let my son go through life feeling ashamed like I did.  He is working very hard too.  I am so happy that he really enjoys the veggie packs and he does what I tell him to do.  We had playful exercise with each other last night that involved light jogging and a little wrestling that pretty much forced us to use our own strength.  Just 15 minutes, but it was fun—and it was a start. 

Now it’s your turn to get started, too.  If you need a little help, I encourage you to try Sensa to give you the willpower you need.  For other tips to get healthy, try the American Heart Association and maybe even join their “Start!" Walking program.  Catch me if you can!

Day 6

Day 6 was pretty much uneventful.  I went through the day with my continued confidence and focus on the goal.  We ate baked fish and corn and salad for dinner.  Later on, I had a scrumptious snack of walnuts, almonds and raisins.  It was so good that I felt like I was cheating!  However, since you can eating anything you want with Sensa, there is no such thing as cheating—only cheating yourself if you don’t sprinkle! 

How is your weight loss going?  I’d love to hear from you.  Hang in there with us.  We’re here to support you too!

Day 5

Day 5 - MLK Day.  This was a beautiful day all around spent with my family.  Started out with breakfast and then my son's performance at the Southfield Civic Center.  Picked up a few needed grocery items.  Had California rolls and protein salad for lunch, and a tossed salad and banana for dinner.  Later, we all listened to gospel music while Kolbe and I chopped veggies to make snack bags for us and my husband fried fish for himself.  I told him to put aside some fish for Kolbe and I to have baked fish tomorrow.  No fried foods for us!

It was wonderful spending time with Kolbe talking about the things our bodies need to be healthy and having him involved in the preparation of the foods.  We bagged grapes too, and nuts and raisins for a real special treat.  My son really wants to get healthy, but being young, he just doesn't know how to do it.  I may have let myself down over the years, but this is not just about me now.  My son's health and happiness are at stake, and I will not let him down.  It's time to put together all the things I have learned over the years about diet and exercise to help myself and my son.  When I think of all the programs I've tried over the years-- some very good programs like Think Trim, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, not to mention my own nutritionist and the wonderful Doctor Oz-- all of them gave very valuable information which I am putting in place right now.  Combining that knowledge with sprinkling my Sensa will surely help us reach our health and fitness goals.

Day 4

Day 4 was another challenging day schedule-wise.  I woke up late and missed church, but managed to have cereal (Special K) for breakfast.  Meanwhile, I learned that two of my cousins who are sisters were in the hospital.  I did a little shopping, dragging Kolbe out with me so he could keep his body in motion too, and then started getting hungry before making it to the hospital.  I found myself thinking about what kind of food could I pickup real quick.  This has always been a bad habit of mine-- making spur of the moment decisions about food and EATING THE WRONG THING.  So on the way to the hospital, I swooped in to the grocery store and picked up a bag of baby carrots and some celery.  Washed them at my sister's house, and we both munched on a couple of carrots on the way to the hospital.  Now THAT was an accomplishment for me!  I did not give in to the hunger pangs by buying some crappy food, and I set myself up to have something healthy available the next time mid-meal cravings hit. 

The next question was what to eat for dinner.  My husband was at my cousin's house watching the playoff games.  I called him to tell him to bring home some of her famous mostaciolli.  The problem is I knew it would be way to late to eat dinner by the time he got home.  That was always another problem of mine:  EATING TOO LATE AT NIGHT.  So I ate something else and got on with the rest of my evening.  Another accomplishment!  Yay me!!!

My plan going forward then is to STOP, THINK, TAKE CONTROL, and always sprinkle my Sensa!

You Didn't Ask, but...: Day 3

You Didn't Ask, but...: Day 3: Day 3 was going to be a challenge because of my schedule, but I maneuvered through it like a stealth fighter. I gave myself no excuses for ...